Friday, May 09, 2008

Forgotten Books: PASSING STRANGE by Richard Sale

Although Patti Abbott forgot to include me in the roundup of people who wrote about a forgotten book last week, I remember doing it. And here we go again. This week I'm recommending Passing Strange by Richard Sale. The book's 66 years old now, but it's still fun to read. The story begins in Hollywood, where a Dr. Peter Merritt is performing a caesarean on a famous actress. While he's operating, someone dressed in gown and mask shoots another doctor in the room and escapes easily. Merritt returns to his home in New York, where there's an attempt on his life. Two other people connected with the case are killed. Great stuff, and, as I've said before, who can resist a novel in which Spanish Fly is a major plot element?

Richard Sale may be forgotten today, but if he is, it's a shame. His pulp stories are entertaining, but he moved on to hardcovers like this one and Lazarus #7, as well as "big" books like For the President's Eyes Only. Not to mention The Oscar (both book and movie, one of the great bad movies).

I've read Sale in one or the other sort of HITCHCOCK anthology, I'm pretty sure...or perhaps one of Ed Gorman's latter-day BIG BOOKs...

Wow, again. THE OSCAR. One of the sure ways to make Harlan Ellison, co-adaptor of the novel, cringe or snap or both. AFAIK, also still the only produced cinematic as opposed to television screenplay by HE, which seems odd.

Ooo! Also wrote the excellent little known film, Suddenly (1954) which Sinatra used his pull and had shelved after the Kennedy assassination. One of my favorites since A&E aired at 4 am back in the late 80s. Recently aired on TCM and is due to air again May 28th at 3 AM EST (click "Remind Me" feature under date on page below and they will e-mail a reminder a week before and a day before):

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=5808

http://www.dvdplanet.com/details.cfm?info=SCL081159

After seeing it on A&E I picked it up on cheap DVD a few years later when I saw it in a store:

http://www.oldies.com/product-view/3022D.html

He also wrote the novel and the screenplay for White Buffalo (the movie is a pretty decent Western that stars a number of actor favorites of mine including Clint Walker who didn't make enough movies in my opinion - the other day I just recorded None But the Brave (1965) off of TCM, which also stars Sinatra, and mentioned both Killdozer (1974) (TV) and Scream of the Wolf (1974) (TV) on a message board the other day discussing the ABC Tuesday and Wednesday Movie(s) of the Week).

Thanks, Todd. I'll have to check my books. I have a boatload of the Hitchcock anthologies, both paperback (including several of the old Dell with the back map covers)and hardcover that I've collected over the years.

Sale's NOT TOO NARROW, NOT TOO DEEP (from, I believe, 1936) is a very good adventure novel, to be enjoyed by someone who doesn't care for the religious symbolism. Apart from that, I've read only one or two short stories. SUDDENLY is a very much okay little film.

Strange Cargo (1940) screenplay by Lawrence Hazard based on Sale's NOT TOO NARROW, NOT TOO DEEP is a nice film with a very good cast.

Calendar Girl (1947) co-written by Sale and Lee Loeb is enjoyable. As is A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950) which Sale wrote the screenplay for. He also co-wrote Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949), which being a fan of Clifton Webb and Mr. Belvedere I like very much (it also has a 21 year old Shirley Temple who was as beautiful in her late teen/young adult roles as she was cute in those kiddie hoofer movies she did).